Loving the Enemy
by Rosie-Vee
Summary: What if Morgana’s father had survived battle? What if Arthur and Morgana were never given the chance to meet? What if Morgana’s powers of foresight threatened Uther Pendragon, and she was considered the enemy? Full Background Summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

Background:

When Morgana is 13 she has a dream, so vivid and horrifying that she confides in her father. The story she tells is of woe, of death shadowing the King. Her father is concerned, and when an aspect of Morgana's dream becomes true, he believes her power. He rushes to warn Uther, but the King has a hatred of magic and instead curses Morgana as a witch, to be dealt with as any other sorceress. But Morgana's father pleads for her life, and Uther grants a concession, he will allow the girl to live, if, and only if, she is his prisoner, locked away beneath the rock of Camelot like the..._monster... the dragon_... which also dwells there.

This is the story of what happens when Arthur, following Merlin on one of his mysterious trips to the dungeons, finds a beautiful and enchanting maiden, entrapped by his father.

.....................

Arthur held the torch higher above his head, brandishing it as a weapon against the shadows which threatened to swallow him whole. He was deep beneath the castle now, water seeping through the rocks around him, creating an eerie atmosphere. He cursed to himself, how could he have let Merlin slip from his sight?!, and then stopped suddenly; the echoes of his voice, ricocheting off the rock walls, did nothing to improve the ambience of the air which swirled around him. Everything fell deathly quiet again, and Arthur paused, taking deep breaths to subdue the wild thoughts which whirled through his head. He knew what sort of monsters dwelt down here, he had fought one himself! His free hand moved towards his belt, and he visibly relaxed as he felt the hilt of his sword bite into his palm. There was nothing that could harm him, he was fine, he just needed to stop and retrace his steps. Arthur picked up his foot, about to step backwards, when he froze. A sound, not one made by himself, flitted down the tunnel. He replaced his foot onto the floor, and found himself taking a step closer, away from the exit to these dark tunnels. Arthur halted himself, undecided about what course of action to follow. The sound may be..._ alluring_... but that could be a trap, couldn't it? He paused, listening to the sound for a moment, and realised it was someone singing, a _girl_ singing.

'_How much harm could a maiden cause to me?' _He thought smugly, and then his grin dropped as his memory reminded him of a certain fairie girl he thought was harmless too. But; this voice, it was so enchanting, it was so.... _sad_.

Without a conscious command to do so, Arthur's feet shifted, taking him closer to the source of the mythical sound. The tunnel twisted around him, construing his ideas of north and south, until it came to an abrupt corner. He paused, and realised that the wall opposite it was bathed in the light glow of a candle which hovered around the bend. Reluctant to do so, but not wishing to announce his arrival with a beacon, Arthur dropped his torch on the floor and silently stamped on it. He slowly drew his sword, cautious of any snare he may have walked into, and crept towards the mystery which lay ahead of him.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur tried to quell his breathing, preparing himself to step into the light. He regripped his sword, counted to three, and swung around the corner, weapon held high, the sword tip ready to impale any enemy which was hiding from his view. What he found though, was not expected.

The rock walls fell away to create a cavern with a low ceiling, with the exception of the natural chimney rising into the sky, letting a snippet of the silver moon filter down to the underground cave. The stone room stretched back further than Arthur's eyes permitted him to see, covered by darkness that battled the small amount of light cast by the guttering candle which sat in the middle of the floor. It was not this granite hall which held Arthur's attention though. His gaze was fixed on the women sat a few paces behind the candle, who stared at him ferociously. Her legs were curled beneath the plain navy blue shift she wore, and her arms were wrapped around her waist in a protective gesture. The long raven hair which hung past her shoulders covered half of her face, but Arthur could feel her dark, piercing eyes upon him. Her skin was white, far too pale to have seen a healthy amount of sun in her lifetime, and her lips trembled as she sucked in a breath. Arthur was dumbfounded, who was this girl? Why was she here?, and he stared at her, meeting her gaze. Her eyes flickered from his face to the sword he brandished in front of him, and Arthur realised in was not chivalrous to point a sword at an unarmed lady. He slowly lowered the steel weapon, and in return the girl carefully rose from her position on the floor. Drawing herself to her full height she was just about an inch taller than Arthur, and an aura wrapped around her, mysterious and chilling.

They stood for several moments, not sure of what to do or say; until Arthur cleared his throat and broke the connection between their eyes. He took a step forward towards the woman, and she mirrored his footwork, shrinking back against the rock behind her.

"It's all right" he said, raising his hand to her.

"What do you want?" she responded in a hushed voice. She was wary, Arthur could sense that.

"I... I don't know" he admitted. "I heard you singing, that's all. Who are you?"

A small smirk began to creep onto her face.

"The Lady Morgana. I might ask you the same question, sir, except I'm afraid to say that I already know." She replied, and a defiant air began to take hold of her frame. "I wasn't expecting you so soon."

Arthur's brow creased at this response. "What do you mean?" He asked. "You've been waiting for me? Here?"

Morgana chuckled quietly and linked her hands in front of her. "Not waiting for you here, specifically. No, this wasn't my choice."

"Right" Arthur paused, not so comfortable in the company of the mysterious Morgana. He frowned again. "So, erm, what do you want with me?"

"I don't know" Morgana sighed. "I wasn't told why you would come, only that you would."

The silence returned as Arthur contemplated this.

"So who told you that I would arrive?" he questioned.

Morgana took a step towards him. "How should I know? The Dream God perhaps?"

But Arthur was distracted. As she moved a clanking sound filled the cave, and her dress shifted to reveal a chain, secured tightly to the rock wall, slipping underneath the fabric of her skirt to supposedly grip her ankle.

He looked back up at Morgana in surprise. She scowled at him, and Arthur immediately jumped back, raising his sword again.

"Who are you? What did you do?" he demanded, putting as much authority and confidence into his voice as he could muster.

"I've already told you." She retorted "And why don't you ask your beloved father about that?" Anger and resentment leaked into her voice as she mentioned the King. Arthur took one look into her blazing eyes and his survival instinct kicked in. He didn't want to be this far from safety, when no-one was aware he was down here, with a bitter person who held a grudge against his father. Nimueh had already proved that he was the tool of revenge to use against Uther, and this woman must be dangerous if his father was forced to imprison her so deep below Camelot. He shrank back, gazing at the scene, locking the image of the blazing maiden away in his mind, and fled through the dark tunnels.


End file.
